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Beyond what?

Burgers and other foods with Beyond Meat have become all the rage lately.

Burgers and other foods with Beyond Meat have become all the rage lately.

Whether it’s a fad or a trend, or whether someone else will step forward and supplant Beyond Meat as the leader with these wannabe-meat products has yet to be seen, but as of right now, we’re hearing a lot about Beyond Meat, and we’re going to continue to hear a lot about them for a while.

Restaurants that serve Beyond Meat have had excellent sales, and more are jumping on board with it.

It’s the sort of food that seems to be really popular with millennials (surprise, surprise), but it’s found favour with other age groups. People who have had it will tell you it actually looks and tastes just like meat, and it’s hard to notice the difference.

For those who have adopted a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, or have shunned red meat, Beyond Meat is likely wonderful. For those who enjoy meat, but try to limit their consumption, they will also be happy.

The company is not new, either, as it’s been around for about 10 years, but has recently experienced a surge in popularity, and has become a darling on the stock market.

I think I speak for the majority of people, though, when I say I’ve heard enough.

I’m a noted meat eater. Beef, chicken, pork, turkey – I enjoy it all. You can find me barbecuing a burger, a steak or a hot dog three or four times a week during the summer months. Pizza? I want some form of meat on it. Supper needs meat of some kind.

I’ve come a long ways from the 22-year-old whose fruit or vegetable intake amounted to lettuce and tomato on a burger or a sandwich, or tomato sauce on pizza or pasta, but ask me for my favourite foods, you won’t find a fruit or a vegetable in the top 10.

Vegetarian restaurant? No thanks. Veggie burger? Where’s the beef, sonny? Vegetarian pizza? You’re kidding, right?

At the same time, nothing goes better with a good cheeseburger in the summer than corn on the cob.

Needless to say, I haven’t ordered a Beyond Meat burger, and I doubt ever will.

But I’m smart enough to know that this food is very en vogue, and it’s likely going to be around for some time. (Or some derivative of it likely will be around). A lot of people like it, and ultimately if it’s popular, it will be trotted out to the masses.

So if you’re going to boycott the restaurants that serve Beyond Meat (yes, some people have suggested it), then you’ll eventually be running out of restaurant options, because in a few years, all restaurants will serve something similar to Beyond Meat.

And as time goes on, we’re going to find out more regarding foods like Beyond Meat and their benefits, but also how it might not be what some people hope. 

•••

I was pretty excited to find out that The Offspring will be coming to Estevan in November. They were a very popular act when I was in high school and university. Songs like Self Esteem and the Kids Aren’t All Right were played regularly among my circle of friends, while Pretty Fly (For a White Guy) delivered one of the more memorable music videos I’ve seen.

While they haven’t enjoyed the success that they did in the 1990s and the first half of the 2000s, they still have a strong following.

Their music is a lot of fun, and it will be a great concert. Judging by the reaction on social media to the story that we posted from the Mercury’s website, a lot of people are excited to see the show, too.

I’m not as familiar with SUM 41, but I recognize they have enjoyed a lot of success over the years.

•••

I’ve noticed that the process of reducing the number of uncontrolled intersections in Estevan has started, which is encouraging. It will be a safer community to drive in once the last of these relics is phased out, and we get used to the location of the stop signs around town.

I’ve also noticed some additional stop signs were installed, such as that new four-way stop at the intersection of Second Street and Sixth Avenue. Didn’t know that a four-way stop was included in the process. It will take some getting used to.

•••

This is not my favourite time of the year. The days are getting shorter. We’re only a week and a half away from the start of the school year. We’re a month away from the first day of fall. The fun outdoor activities of summer are coming to an end, and before we know it, we’ll have more activities indoors than outdoors.

But there is one upshot to summer’s conclusion: the return of hockey season.

The Power Dodge Estevan Bruins’ fall camp starts next weekend. The start of the regular season is less than a month away. It means a steady increase in the amount of rink food, thanks to junior and minor hockey games. And yes, that means more rink burgers, and other meals that don’t have anything to do with Beyond Meat.